The resources of weakness

The figure of the everyday hero in American cinema

Abstract

The everyday hero is an important narrative element in audiovisual discourse, characterized as the reverse of the useless man, a literary figure, born in the 19th century Russian culture and typical of Modernity. Both are parodic descendants of the heroic and wise characters of Premodern literature and they represent as well the resistance against the prosaism and pragmatism promoted by the Industrial Revolution. Furthermore, their aesthetic dynamism and moral ambivalence relate them to a figure originating from traditional literature such as the trickster. In the case of American cinema, we can distinguish a phase of constitution during the Great Depression, then a pessimistic and reflective outlook in the beginning of the post-war period as well as a proliferation of trends at the turn of the century. The performance of some actors and actresses show the potential of these modern figures, capable of demonstrating a civic exemplarity and also opening the door to the issue of female empowerment in everyday life. On the other hand, the everyday hero as a member of the middle-class, placed between the groups of power and the working classes, enables him to self-absorption and lack of awareness about his social role, along with a certain conformity to the status quo.